Shutdown Corner

Tom Brady karate-kicks Ed Reed, upends Reed in the process (VIDEO)

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady must have been upset when he was stopped by umpire Chad Brown near the end of the first half of the AFC championship game against the Baltimore Ravens. That happened with 1:52 left in the first half, and when you're looking at the game totals, keep in mind that the tackle credited to Ray Lewis was actually executed by the umpire, who couldn't get out of Brady's way quickly enough. That play brought the Patriots to the Baltimore 36-yard line.

Six plays later, from the Baltimore 10-yard line and with New England up, 10-7, Brady ran to his left -- perhaps in a bad mood. When Ravens safety Ed Reed tried to tackle him, Brady slid and went with a little jiu-jitsu kick to complete the play. Reed was upended by the kick, and Brady was not penalized. Stephen Gostkowski kicked a field goal on the next play to end the half, and the Pats went into the locker room with a 13-7 lead. It's a good play when you're trying to take out a second baseman, but a bit unusual in pro football.

We don't fault Brady for the Daniel LaRusso move, but could you imagine how the NFL would react if Reed did the same to Brady? Ray Anderson, the league's Senior VP of Operations, already tried to suspend Reed once this season under questionable circumstances, only to see the suspension overturned. Reed probably would have been deported to Jupiter in this case.